Galatians 4:3
3 Even [kai] so [houto] we [hemeis], when [hote] we were [en] children [nepios], were [en] in bondage [douloo] under [hupo] the elements [stoicheion] of the world [kosmos]: KJV-Interlinear
3 So also we, while we were
children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. NASB
Paul has been painting an illustration from the
last chapter and continuing on into and through this chapter, portraying two
children, one being the son of the master of the household, and the other a slave
child who is not a son of the master.
The difference between the two children is that one
is the son of the master and the other is not, and the second difference is
that the son of the master will one day become heir to the master’s property,
that is the property of his father, and the servant child will not be an heir.
The similarities between the two children are that
both children have neither freedom of choice or function within their lives
while they are still children.
Both children are under the authority and control
of a guardian. In Paul’s illustration, the guardian has complete control and
authority over the lives of the children.
At some point in the lives of the children, the son
of the master will reach an age of adulthood. That age is determined by the
master. When that age is reached the child is released from the guardian and in
effect set free. The child now has freedom of action, freedom of choice, and
freedom to receive his inheritance at the proper time.
The slave or servant child never receives this
freedom.
In this illustration the guardian represents the
law of Moses. The law of Moses represents works, or man’s effort to function
within his life such that his life will be perfect as demanded by the guardian
(the law). However the law of Moses also dictates punishments and penalties for
any imperfection that arises in the individual’s life.
The guardian is a harsh master, and represents the
harsh realities and penalties of even the slightest single infraction.
The penalty for failure for even a single infraction,
is permanent punishment. This is the lake of fire punishment for sin.
The slave or servant child represents the
unbeliever who will never gain his freedom, and therefore is destined for the lake
of fire.
The other child, the son of the master, represents
the believer in Christ, who is qualified for an inheritance and freedom from
the lake of fire, however that qualification is dependent on the work of Christ
on the cross, not the efforts of the child.
The work of Christ on the cross, which secured
salvation for us all, represents the child reaching adulthood and is no longer
under the law of Moses, but now is governed by the promise of Christ.
Until Jesus Christ went to the cross, all of
humanity was trapped in slavery which is described as human works. Without the
cross there would be no salvation. Without the cross there would be no
mechanism for escaping from the slavery of sin.
So, prior to the cross, all of humanity who had
believed in the promised Savior, were still trapped or imprisoned, as it were,
until the actual event of the cross and the fulfillment of God’s promise.
In this verse Paul says, we children, which refers
to people who have believed in Christ. And what he means is, even though people
have believed in Christ, or people have believed in a promised Savior, humanity
was still in bondage under the elements of the world.
The elements of the world simply refers to the
fundamental attributes of life, and living within the world.
Without Christ, every individual is dependent on
what the world offers and allows. And we all know that life in this world is
not equal for everyone. There are innumerable prejudices and biases and inequalities
that separate the rich from the poor, that separates the haves from the
have-nots, that separates those who are elite from those who are common.
Living under the rules of this world makes it
difficult enough just to get by in life from day-to-day, let alone gaining God’s
approval. Obtaining God’s approval from the standpoint of the world is
impossible.
In order to gain God’s approval, we need something
outside of and beyond this world, which is faith in Christ.
And by the same token, to get along in and survive
in this world, we likewise need God’s blessing, which also comes through faith
in the written word.
Therefore rejecting God’s method of salvation, and
rejecting God’s method of functioning within the spiritual life, means that you
only have the elements of the world to depend on, and that means that you have
nothing.
